Floor machine



July 6 R. A. PONSELLE FLOOR MACHINE Filed Sept. 10, 1923 fr '9 30 @d 1Q; ATroRNEYs Patented July 6,. 12926.

FLoon MACHINE.

A HElssUl-in Application led September 10, 1923. Serial Not 661,824.

This invention relates4 to 'machines for treating floors and the object of the invention is to provide a device by which the floor may be scrubbed, polished, waxed, re-

finished, or otherwise treated by means of 4power driven tools. Floors of hard wood,

tile, and the like, such as are in extensive use in public buildings, hotels, auditoriums, and also in private homes. require considerable attention, and to keepthese floors clean and polished manually is a laborious and yexpensive operation. To save this manual labor machines of various types have been devised in which there is provided a` driving means such 'as a motor which is used to actuate va tool which may take'the lform of a revolving base, and the tool which is driven by 4themotor, usually through reduction gearing,

` is so placed that when the machine is in use the weight of the entire mechanism rests directly on the tool. In these machines a wheel carriage is also provided which may lbe raised from the floor when the machine is in actual operation. In such a machine the operator makes use ofthe rotation of ythe 'tool in order to cause the machine to travel, tilting the machine to one side or the other so that only oneedge of the tool will bear against the loor.- In order to control the movements of the machine so"` that it will do no dama-ge tothe walls, considerable skill and muscular effort is required and the cost of the machines is 4increased by reason of the necessity of providing the reduction gearing. Y

The object of the present invention, now to be described, is to provide a floor machine vin which the motor and its associated parts are carried .on a movable supportr'which ."bearson the floor at all times. This -support is located within the effective area of the tool which is'driven,directly from the motor,l and since the carriage lies within this effective area some portion of the tool will always act on the floor after the carriage has passed over it, thus eliminatingl any wheel marks. By constructing a may `chine which includes a carriage of the' type .above referred to, it'is possible to use a directly connected tool and to -'reduce the weight and cost of the machine. Also, such -a machine may be readily used byan unskilled operator since it is easily .controlled and may be moved' over the floor without depending on the rotation of the tool for such movemen..

In order to attain the desired objects, I construct the machine with its motor preferably in the vvertical position. Mounted on the lowerend of the motor shaft is a disc or plate near the peripher of which are several apertures. The too which may be in the form of a brush, a felt buffer, or the like, is annular iny form and provided with ,pinsv which` pass f through the apertures in the disc. The tool is 'free to move up and down, relative to the disc, while the driving connection is maintained. Consequentlythe vtool will always bear'against the floor, re-

gardless of any irregularities in the floor surface and re ardless also of the length of the bristles or tglie thickness of the felt; The motor and its associated parts are supported on a wheeled truck or carriage which bears "1,591,682 'PA'liE-NT()F'FICE` Bonner A. roNsaLLn, or NEW Yonx, N. Y. n

on the floor within the effective area of the tool, extending'through the center of the annulus. This truck is attached to the end ofy a rod whichv passes through the motor shaft which is made hollow for the purpose, and at itsupper end the rod is secured in a block which is attached to the motor casing\..-Als`o, at the lower end of the shaft thereis provided a-bearing which keeps the carriage properl spaced with relation to the shaft, and w ich also permits the rotation of the disc or plate while the carriage remains stationary'. In another form of construction the motor shaft is made solid and is provided with thrust bearingsby which the weight of the motor is transmitted to 'the carriage. These bearings are placed above andbelow the driving disc so that the latter may be secured to the shaft and driven by it without transmitting motion to the carriage. In another similar construction 4there is used. a combination of ball and thrust bearings with a solid shaft, as before.

With either of the constructions above briefly described vit will be seen that the tool is driven directly from the motor at the floor under its own weight and lis free to move up and down 1n accordance with 1rregularlties 1n the licor surface, and also 1n motor speed. This tool bears lightly on the accordance with the length of the bristles or the thickness of the felt. lThe movable sup-` port carries all the weight of the device except the tool and bears on the floor at a lace within the effective area of the tool.

onsequently as the machine is moved any possibility of wheel tracks is obviated. Also, since the weight of the motor and its associated parts is carried on a wheeled support the machine may be, moved about without undue exertion, and may be constructed of parts which are light in weight so that the machine may be readily carried from floorl to floor.

The embodiment' of the invention which is now preferred is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which F1g. 1 is a rear elevational view of the device, showing in dotted lines the parts ordinarily covered by the protective cover,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device showing a part of the operating surface of the tool broken away,

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the complete device with the parts shown in section,

Fig. 4 is a View in detail of the end of the motor shaft,

Fig. 5 is a. detailed cross-sectional View of a modified form of support,

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showin another support, and

ig. 7 is a view of a detail of the handle mounting.

In these drawings, the machine is seen to be provided with motor 8 having th'e usual casing 9 within which are located the armature 10 and poles 11, illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. A ring-like casting 12 lits over the lower end of thecasing and is secured in place thereon by means of a series of set screws 13 which enter small depressions made in the surface of the casing. Riveted to the lower end of ,this casting is a bell-like guard 14 which partially encloses the support and the tool. On either side this casting is provided with bosses 15 on which are swiveled the ends of a fork 16, carrying the handle 17. The handle is provided at its upper end with a cross bar 18 and a switch 19, and a motor cable enters the switch and passes downwardly through the hollow handle 17 and is thence led to the -motor terminals through bushings 21. The

casting 12 is preferably mounted as near the lower end of the motor as possible so that the handle will be secured at or near the center of gravity of the device. As the handle is freely swiveled on the machine it can be swung on its pivots without tending to tilt the machine, but in some instances it is desirahle to hold the handlerigidly In place relative to the motor, as for instance, when the machine is being moved over a door sill. For this purpose the casting 12 is provided with an up-standing lug 22 which is provided with apertures 23, designed to register with another aperture 24 in one of the arms of the fork 16, and mounted on this fork by a chain 25 is a pin 26 which may be inserted in the registering apertures so as to hold the handle fast in position.

As is shown in Fig. 3 the shaft 27 of the motor is made hollow and it extends a considerable distance beyond the lower end of the motor casing. At its upper end the casini' is provided with a. block 28 which may lbe vsecured rigidily in place by screws and into which is threaded va rod 29, with anut 30 on its outer end. This rod extends downwardly through the shaft 27 and at its lower end is secured by a set screw 31 in the bed plate 32 of the movable support, which is in the form ot' a 4-wheel truck. This bed plate has a depressed center as at 33, and a rim 34. The rollers or wheels 35 are secured in any convenient manner to the rim 34. The shaft 27 has a pair of slots 36, (see Fig. 4) extending inwardly from itsv lower end, and a plate 37 provided with an integral sleeve 38 fits over the end of this shaft with pins 39 mounted in the sleeve extending into the slots 36 so that when the plate is in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 it is driven directly by the shaft.

The plate 37 is supported in the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of the carriage 32. For this purpose the carriage is channeled as at 40, along the inner face of its rim,

and mounted in this channel is the outer race 4l of a ball bearing, the inner race 42 being secured to the sleeve 38. Between these races runs a plurality of balls 43 so that with this arrangement the ball bearing also serves as a vthrust bearing. and the race 42 which lies against the shoulder formed in the sleeve serves to hold the plate 37 with its pins 39 in the notches 36. The ball bearing, therefore, serves the further function of supporting the motor shaft and its armature, and the motor shaft is free to drive the plate 37 without tending to cause rotation of the support. In order to protect theseI parts there is provided an annular plate 44 secured by screws 45 to the upper face of the bed plate or support and this plate is mounted over a spacer plate 46 which serves to provide the necessary clearance so that'the plate will not bear against the race 42.

The plate 37 may either be flat or may be given the off-set rim 47 as illustrated, the latter form permitting the machine to be lll made more compact. The oft-set rim is prol with cross-pins 51 which are of such size as moved into the operating position illuswith the driving connection Wardly the cross-pins bear on the upper surface of trated in Fig. 3, the brush will be moved slightly so that thecross-pins 51 may pass throu h the heads of the apertures, inwhich case t 1e tool has a drivingconnection with 4the plate by reason of the main pins 49, but,

as will be seen, the tool lalso has a 'limited freedom of movement toward andy away from the Hoor while thisy driving connec-" tion is maintained. In operative.l position the tool rests on the floor simply of its ownvv weight, and does not serve asa support.'4

When the machine is to be moved about from one room to another it is* desirable to support the tool out ofcontact with the floor, and for this purpose the tool' will be moved so that the cross pins are opposite the heads of the apertures, then pushed upand given a slight rotation so that the plate 37 so as to hold the tool above the floor.

With the construction shown, it'will be* seen that the entire weight of the machine is supported on the wheels or rollers 35, here illustrated as being four in number, and the machine may bel readily -moved from place to place WhihJ the tool is rotating ata high rate of speed. The tool is'driven 'at motor speed and moves upy and down slightly, according to the irregularities ofv In the case of a brush,fit

the floor surface. will be understood `that the high'speed of rotation given it causes the drawn outwardly and this causes the plate of. the brush'to move down toward the floor surface. Such a movement is permitted shown. Furthermore, since the support bears on' the floor within the effective area'of the brush, anI tracks which may be left by the wheels wi l be eliminated bythe brush because no matter which way the machine is moved there is always some portion of the brush which acts.on the Hoor lafter the'. wheels have passed over it. The machine, by reason of the manner inwhich'the weight is carried, is easily controlled and maybe operated with little exertion.

InFig. there is illustrated-a sli modified form of construction, in w ich there is used a solid motor shaft 52. Secured by set sc-rews on the lower end of this shaft is a plate 37, asbefore, by means of which the tool. is driven. Interposed-between the up er surface of the plate 37 and the end 53 o the motor casing, is a thrust bearing, designated generally as 54, and below the lower surface of the plate 37 and the-rim of the movable support is another thrust bearing designated as 55. These thrust bearings permit the weight 'of the htly - will be of the construction motor to be `transmitted through the plate to the support while'y the plate is rotating, and without lcausing any rotation of the support. In this construction itis preferable to provide thel plate'37 with a guard casing 56 which encloses r,the upper thrust bearing so as' to keep dirt from entering it. The lower thrust bearing is protectedby a plate simi- `larto the plate'44 shown iny Fig. 3. y

In Figf the'construction is similar to that described in Fig. 5, with thel exception that' the 'lower thrust bearingv 55 has been 'replaced' by a ball bearing 57, which is to the bearingl employed in. Fig. 3. l In'feitherof the conmounted in a vmanner similar -stmctlons illustrated in j Figs. 5 and 6 it "will be seen that the' weight ofthe motor,

the handle, feto., are 'transmitted through the lower end of the motor` casing to the thrust -bearin 54,"thence to the plate 37 and througl another bearing to tlie Vtruck 32. This'permts the plate andftool to be 'directly driven from the-motorl without causing any rotation of4 thejsupport and the.

latter 'carries all the weight of the device except the tool itself.

r 'It will be seen that the plate '37 which is y here shown as having'an off-.set rim, may be simpl in the'form of a. fiat disc or, if preferre in the vform of a spider, but the construction illustrated makes it possible to use a support of considerable size, while keeping the machine compact. With, any construction the uard 14 must be so designed as to permit the pins49 to be moved *upwardly the distance necessary for securbristles to being the tool in inoperative position. The machine illustrated is capable of use for scrubbing floors, in which `case a. bristle brush ywill be employed or it ,may b e used for waxing orpolishing floorsl or forv other purposes. The tool which will be used, will, ofcourse, depend on the purpose for which the machine 1s to be used, and to replace a tool it is only necessary to tip the machine on its side, rotate the tool shghtly so that the cross-pins may pass through the apertureswhereupon the tool maybe readily removedv by Withdrawin ,the pins 49 from the plate. The new too place in the same Way.

Any tool, however, y generally illustrated in Fig. 2, that 1s to say, it Will'have an annular effective area which surrounds and is spaced from the movable support.

The'type kof machine illustrated in Fig. 3 is to be referred over the modifications shown in that in the first form referredto the device is in stable equilibrium. It Iwill be seen from an examination of Fig. 3`that the is then slipped in 1gs.5and 6 by reason of the factmotor shaft which is supported in bearings v inthe usual manner would normally have a'tendency torestagainst the lower bearing,l but thisfshaft -engag'ges the pins 39 in rse i the sleeve 38 which forms a part of the disc i that the weight of the shaft and armature is not carried by the motor bearings. lAt the same time, the motor casing kwith the motor poles mounted in it is suspended from the block 28 which is rigidly connected to the casing and in which is also mounted .the upper end of the rod. The motor casing, therefore, is suspended from its support mstead of being mounted above it, and consequently in this type of machine there is no strain on the ball bearing when the machine is moved over the floor or when it strikes an irregularity in the floor surface because the motor casing tends to swing about the top of the rod 29 as a center and such a movement is transmitted to the support in such'l a wa as to exert a force tending to drive the all races toward each other in a straight line. Were the motor casing, however, supported so as to swing about the wheeled support as avcenter, then any swinging of the casing due to irregularities inthe floor surface would have a tendency to force the ball bearin s apart in an angular direction. The ball earings used in the preferred form of machine, therefore, will have a much longer life than would ordinarily be the case were the motor supported above the center about which it would have a tendency to swing.

In the type of machine in which the weight of the motor and the various other parts rests directly on the brush without other su port, it is possible to clean all parts of the fl) the brush the bristles are thrown outwardly and extend beyond the enclosing apron to such a distance that the machine lma be 'moved along the walls and all parts of the floor are cleaned without causing the apron to come in contact with the wall. A machine using a ,support external to the brush is objectionable because of the factthat this sup ort would prevent a thorough cleaning of t e floor, but in the present type of machine the 4 advantages of supporting the weight of the motor on a carriage are available, while at the same time the entire floor area may be treated.

I claim:

1. A machine for treating floors comprising the combination of a motor having its drive-shaft vertical, a tool for operating on the floor surface, mea-ns for driving the tool directly from the motor shaft without the interposition of gearing, and a stable support for the motor bearing on the floor oor area because upon rotation of`V and lying wholly within the effective area of the tool. v

2. A machine for treating floors comprisingr the combination of a motor having its drive shaft vertical, a stable support for the motor secured against detachment therefrom and bearing on the floor at points lying spaced from the axis of the motor, a tool for operating on the floor surface bearing .on the latter over an area encircling the support, and means for driving the tool directl from the motor shaft without the interposition of gearing. l

3. A machine for treating floors comprising the combination'of a motor having .its driveshaft vertical, a stable support for the motor resting on the floor, a tool for operatingv on the Afloor surface and bearing on the atter over -an area encircling the support, and means for driving the tool directly from the motor shaft and at the same speed of rotationas the latter without the interposition of gearing, the said means permitting the tool to havefa limited freeing'tlie combination of a motor enclosed inA a casing and having its drive shaft vertical,

a wheeled support for the motor secured against detachment therefrom and bearing on the floor to hold the motor in stable equilibrium, a tool for operating on the floor surface and bearing on the latter over an area'encircling the support, a plate rigidly mounted on the motor shaft, and driv- 1ng connections between the plate and the tool, lsaid connections causing the tool to` .be driven at the same speed asthe motor shaft and also permitting the tool to have a limited, freedom of movement toward and away from the floor.

6. A machine for treating floors comprising the combination of a motor, a stable support for the motor, a tool driven directly by the motor without the inter osition of O'earing and bearing on. the oor arounda the support, and means extending axially -of the motor for connecting the motor to the support.

7. A- machine for treating floors, comprising a motor enclosed in a casing, and having a hollow shaft, a rod extending throu h the shaft and attached at one end to t e casing, a movable support resting on the -floor and mounted on the other end of the rod, and a tool driven by the motor and having an operating surface adapted to bear on the floor.

8. A machine for treating floors, comprising a motor enclosed in a casing, and having a, hollow shaft, a rod extending through the shaft and attached at one end to the casing, a movable support resting on the iloor and mounted on the other end of the rod` a plate secured to the shaft above the support, and a tool adapted to rest on the floor beyond the support and driven by the plate.

9. A machine for treating `floors, comprising a motor enclosed in a casing, and having aI hollow shaft projecting beyond one end of the casing, a rod extending through the shaft and attached at one end to the casing,

` a wheeled support mounted on the other end of the rod, a bearing between the sup ort and the projecting end of the shaft, a p ate `fast on the shaft above the support, and a tool having driving connections with the plate and resting freely on the floor surface.

10. A.machine for treating loors, comprising a motor enclosed in a' casmg, and

having a hollowshaft projectin beyond one end of the casing, a rod exten ing through the shaft and attached at one end to the casing, a wheeled support mounted on the other end of the rod, a bearin between the support and the projecting end; of the shaft,

a plate fast on the shaft above the support and provided with a plurality of apertures, and a tool provided with pins engaging in said apertures for drivingr the tool, said tool having a limited freedom of-movement along the axis of the plate.

1l. A machine for treating iioors comrising the combination of a motor having its drive shaft vertical, a stable support for the motor resting on the floor, a tool fo: treating the floor driven directly by the motor Without thc interposition of gearing and bearing on the floor outside of the support, and means extending axially of the motor for suspending the motor above the support.

12. A machine for treating floors, cornprising a motor, having a casing, a tool driven by the motor and resting of its own weight on the floor, a support bear-ing on the floor Within the effective area of the tool, a. rod mounted in the support and extending through the motor casing, and means for securing the casing to the rod above the center of gravity of the motor.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

ROBERT A. PoNsELLE. 

